Sunday sampling: Beer no evil, pie no evil

For the third year in a row, we headed down to our local Sprig and Fern pub for a beer and pie tasting event.  Part of Wellington on a Plate, the theme for this year’s event was ‘The Classics’, featuring traditional Kiwi pies.  Beers are from Sprig and Fern’s long list of brews and the pies as usual from Waikanae based Siggy’s Pies.

With the them of ‘tradition’, the pies this year were perhaps not as exciting as in the past, but the quality was there all the same.  First up, was a bacon and egg pie, paired with a Blonde beer.  The beer (30%wheat and a small amount of hops) had a very light flavour, which went well with the saltiness of the bacon and egg, but was a bit too bland on its own.  Next up was that classic pie, mince and cheese, paired with an English style bitter.  The pie was a good, rich version of the Kiwi favourite, and went well with the sweet, toffee flavours of the beer.

Two down, three to go

Cheers!

Pie number three was a steak and mushroom, served with a Scotch ale.  The pie had a good amount of mushroom, and the beer was a really caramel tasting brew, making for a good combination.  Fourth up was my favourite combo, a steak and stout pie matched with the Black Tyre Stout.  This beer is a limited edition milk stout, and had a rich, full-bodied taste as one would expect.

One to go…

This year, the last pie was an apple and allspice pie, made from organic apples and served with a crisp, apple cider.  Although Siggy’s Pies don’t normally produce sweet pies, this one was created especially for this tasting event.  It was a first class desert pie, and paired well with the cider.

Finished

Verdict: The pairings worked really well, but the theme of classic pies meant that there were no surprises or interesting tastes in the pie department.  This is not a criticism, but personally I would have preferred a more interesting mix, though the apple pie was a different addition at the end.